Safe Haven
by Paloma228
Summary: Set after 4x08 (Forever Young) – Lexie is struggling to deal with her alcoholic father and Mark is struggling with being under the shadow of Derek Shepherd, they form an unexpected friendship that slowly leads to something more.


**_Meredith_**_: Your dad was in the ER today.  
__**Lexie**__: I know.  
__**Meredith**__: So, you know he was drunk and he put his hand through a window?  
__**Lexie**__: Yeah, anything else?  
__**Meredith**__: I know it was Susan's birthday and I'm sure it was a very hard day for the both of you. And he wasn't actually a problem, he was kinda charming. But, he seemed very sad and I'd hate to see it happen again so maybe you should think about keeping a better eye on him.  
__**Lexie**__: Every day is my mother's birthday. My mother was born in March. He lied. He's a liar. And I'm glad. Really, I'm glad that you found him charming. I'm sure he was delightful. He's a blast after five drinks, not so much after nine though; he gets a little weepy and mean. He's a drunk, Meredith. He probably came in and told you how wonderful you are. How sad he is he doesn't get to spend more time with you. You know, yesterday he told me I was his favourite daughter. The day before, I was an ungrateful bitch. The week before, he wrote me a check for twenty-thousand dollars because he said I deserved everything life had to offer because he was so proud of me, a lifetimes worth of proud. So thank you for letting me know that I need to keep a better eye on him. Thanks. _

Lexie blew any excess frustration she had just unleashed onto Meredith, the back of her head leaning against the cold, hard concrete wall underneath the stairwell. Her chest rose and sunk dramatically as she tried to catch her breath back, her sudden outburst were now out of her control and directed straight at Meredith. The one person she desperately wanted to win over. Needed to win over. It was strange, growing up everyone loved Lexie, she was the type of person you couldn't help but like until she came to Seattle Grace Hospital; Meredith and Cristina hated her without giving her a chance, even Alex treated her like crap although he only served as a distraction for her. Cristina she could live with, after all she was only her assigned resident for less than a year whereas Meredith was her sister. Flesh and blood, that meant something. Although apparently not to Meredith who couldn't even remember her mum's birthday despite admitting Susan to the hospital and even operating on her. But still, Meredith was her family and with Molly settled down with her own family, she was all Lexie had left excluding her permanently drunk father – practically a complete stranger.

_'Maybe I should apologise'_ Lexie wondered, pushing herself off of the wall with her elbows.

She headed back up the staircase, deliberating in her mind whether she should apologise to Meredith or go back to work. No, it was too premature for an apology. Lexie meant what she had said and an apology could erase that, not to mention she had a ton of charts to complete and her handwriting got sloppy when she was in a rush.

"Intern." Mark called out to Lexie, clicking his fingers as he searched through his mind for a name. "Grey, right?"

Lexie sighed, the last thing she needed was Mark Sloan on her case on top of her dad and Meredith but getting on the wrong side of an attending and Mark Sloan of all, would only make things worse. The hospital was her safe haven, somewhere to escape to, where she was at her best.

"Right." Lexie forced a smile on her face. "How can I help?"

Mark reached into his pocket, he pulled out a crisp $20 note between his two fingers and held it up to Lexie. "Dry cappuccino."

"I-I…" Lexie trailed off, she could argue that she was a surgical intern and not his personal assistant but there was no fight left in her so instead she took a deep breath in, took the money from Mark and made her way to the elevator.

The elevator button finally illuminated after being persistently stabbed by Lexie, its condition probably worsened but she felt the residual anger and frustration from her confrontation with Meredith release through each jab.

"Why don't you try the stairs?" Mark called out.

Lexie gasped and jumped, she looked down the ground as she felt the blood rushing straight to her ears and then to her cheeks. She inhaled and exhaled short breaths before pursing her lips and looking back at Mark, he had his McSteamy face on – a playful smirk with a hungry glint in his eyes – she quickly shot her head back to face the elevator. She was not going to be _that_ girl, not another intern, or nurse, or orderly, or resident, or anyone else who was stupid enough to get into bed with Mark Sloan. She would just give him a cappuccino and concentrate on the medicine.

_Ding_

Lexie let out a sigh of relief when she heard the elevator doors opening until she got in and turned back around. Mark was still staring and she was still blushing. Again she turned her head to the side and looked down, twisting the loose part of her hair with her finger as she waited for the doors to close.


End file.
